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Syllabus - How to Succeed in this Course
Write. Really, it's the most fundamental part of the course. Much of the writing you will do for this class will be practice writing or first draft writing, writing where the emphasis is on getting words on paper. Take your commitment to writing seriously for this course no matter how you feel about what you're writing. Even the best writers write large amounts of junk, and you will come to see this as a step in the process of writing well. Also, take your commitment to revision seriously--when you have written something you find resonates, give it the attention it deserves, and don't make cosmetic changes for the sake of being able to submit a "redraft." Your instructor is really as interested in why you will choose to make changes in your drafts as in what the changes are, and you will be asked for your reasons. Lastly, make a commitment to submitting writing for workshop that is worthy of your classmates' time. This doesn't mean it should be polished and finished prose, but that it displays your involvement with the project, is free of obvious and sloppy grammatical errors, is well-formatted and presented, and is a piece you really want feedback on.
Critique with seriousness and care. One of the more difficult skills for a new writing student to learn is how to give and receive feedback on writing. A good critique has the best interests of the piece of writing in mind, and when you give advice, you should have as your goal to help the story become the best that it can be. The most valuable experience in a workshop is often not the advice you receive on your own work, but the opportunity to enter into the project of another writer, forcing yourself to think as another writer thinks, asking not How could I make this better? but How could this writer make this better? The more you are able to do this, the better a writer you will become.
Commit to keeping a good craftbook. The craftbook will be your best measure of your progress as a writer. It will be a record of your writings in class and out--writing practice and exercises, notes and thoughts, and the research you've done to prepare for discussion. But beyond the class, the craftbook will become your best resource as you continue to write after the class has ended. It will give you raw material for future stories, it will help you when you find yourself stuck, and it will provide you with the a space to experiment. Do all the assignments related to the craftbook, and find your own exercises, your own practices. Add sections, collect notes from other classes, from other places. Make your craftbook your own space for the exploration of writing.
Stick to the course schedule. When you register for this course, you make a commitment to not only yourself and to your instructor, but to your classmates as well. They will be depending on your timely input and advice, and the quality of your work will impact the quality each class member's educational experience. Turn in your assignments on time, and devote the time and energy to produce thoughtful work.
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